The Battle of Nibley Green • Bayshill Cricket Club

North Nibley vs Bayshill — *The Mighty Bays*

Ivor Hugh J Thurston reports from the rural retreat that is North Nibley. Readers are informed that Colonel Mustard is having the week off after the Isles of Scilly Tour, due to exhaustion and a severely prolapsed wallet. Well-wishers are encouraged to drop bottles of Abbot and used fivers off, in plain brown paper envelopes and packaging, at Bayshill House, labelled, ‘For the Colonel’s use.’

North Nibley sits 58 metres above sea level and is no more than two thirds of a mile from the much smaller Nibley Green. This tiny hamlet has huge historical significance in this country as it is the site of the last battle fought in this country between private armies of feudal magnates. In 1470, a single year before the Battle of Tewkesbury, Viscount Lisle led his 300 hundred ill-equipped troops against William Berkeley (2nd Baron) and his thousand armed men. The fight didn’t last long, with Lisle taking an arrow in the temple and then being hit by a number of ‘dagger strokes,’ before his men dispersed leaderless.

Before the game started, a tent, well more of a marquee really, with long pennants flying from each of the four huge supporting poles, had been erected in the field next to the ground. Had North Nibbers decided quietly to have a re-enactment of the great battle? Was there to be a North Nibley medieval festival, of which the Bays were, unknown to them, to play an integral part? Surely not? There were no banners, a void of publicity and further to that, it seemed that the huge tent wasn’t dispensing beer. Sadly it wasn’t the case, but just imagine if it had. Bays players could have assembled as irate farm workers, with pitch forks and other agricultural weapons. Viscount Lisle would have had to be Liley S (for ‘homophonical’ reasons alone) and his worthy and loyal feudal peasants the rest of the Bays squad. I’m not sure about him taking a cricket bat to the eye though, that seems really poor form, as I’ve heard he’s a dashed decent chap.

The game between Bayshill CC and North Nibley wasn’t an acrimonious encounter at all, but even so it was well-contested. NN won the toss and decided to put the Bays into bat in a 40 over match! Yes, that’s right, a forty over game in the sweltering heat of an early August Sunday. Few men would have the sense to decide such a course of action.

Bayshill were a number of regular players short and this may have had an effect on the openers and indeed some decisions made on the day. Forty overs seems a large number in which to make runs, but it must be remembered that the other team has the same number as well. A trite comment you could argue, but sometimes the obvious has to be mentioned. We saw on the recent tour, the problems of scoring too slowly and so it was today, until batsmen 5 and 6 injected some youth and urgency into a game that was spiralling into a morass of torpor and inaction. Well done Nolan Price and especially Michael Harding for bringing the total up to something that could possibly be defended. But more of that later.

Captain Pierce and Chris Wayman, making his debut on the mainland for Bayshill opened with sure and steady progress. Toffee Crisp expert Wayman began with 9 off his first 5 balls lifting hopes of a sizeable score. However, things settled down in the heat as both players played sensibly and scored on the odd wayward ball. Pierce took 40 balls to make his first 18, before accelerating somewhat to 53 off 78 (ten 4s & 53 dot balls), before being caught off the impressive Lampurgh. The score was now 127 with Chris at the other end on 43, but importantly 25 overs had gone. A further 6 runs were added before Chris was bowled for 46 off 65 (6 fours & 40 dot balls) in the 28th over. Van Dyke of the A persuasion made 10 off 17 (caught and bowled by Artinsall), Steve Liley just 2 off 4 (bowled Lampurgh) and Paul Saunders was caught by Crapewell for a quacker off 5 to Lampurgh again.

Now Nolan Price and Michael Harding changed the game in the nine overs they shared at the crease – with the last four overs yielding 42 runs. Nolan scored at just over a run a ball, making 18* off 15 with three fours and Michael who played a few well chosen defensive shots, 44* off just 33 with eight well-struck fours. The scorer, who had been nodding off, had to sit up, sharpen his pencil and get to work. Well done to numbers 5 and 6! Bayshill also had the help of a certain Mr. Extras who managed a creditable 43! – We need him every week. At some point the heavens decided to open and the welcoming ground sucked up the falling rain greedily. After ten minutes you wouldn’t have known it had been raining at all.

Tea was actually provided for once and this caused a degree of confusion in the minds of those who like to choose what sort of bread and what sort of contents they have in their sandwiches. The writer had a couple of cheese and pickle sandwiches and 4 pieces of cake as there was nothing else to his liking or taste. But who am I to criticise the efforts of the kind people who assembled the spread? Well done to them I say.

Bayshill now took to the field for a full forty overs full of expectation. The team including Martin Van Dyke and Jamie Liley, both recent Bayshill tourists of Scilly and both with high hopes of a bowl, with one and three wickets between them on the islands respectively, they waited patiently for their chance, but sadly it was never to come. Both players remember, had been well down the batting order and therefore also hadn’t batted. Both it must be said fielded very well and should be commended for their efforts and positive attitude. It will be interesting to see if either of them is available for this Sunday’s game. Watch this space…

The first nine overs were shared by Alex and Michael Harding. Michael had Lampurgh caught by Toffee Chrisp Wayman for 18 and the score on 27. In his first over Paul Soggy Saunders, replacing Michael H, had Boroughs clean-bowled for 12 and the score up to 46. Paul’s third over was his best, having both Jones and Crapewell LBW and the score was now 66/4 off 13 overs.

Nolan Price in his first match of the season was called on to bowl and after a nervous start going for ten in his first over, went on to take Patterson’s wicket (57), caught Alex Van Dyke and Murphy (26) caught by the captain himself Nobster! The score was now 146 off about 25. Colin Harding was brought on to bowl now, with Nobby deciding to also have a go. Nobby had Eden clean bowled for 23 and also had Turk caught by Alex Van Dyke for 16.

The score had climbed to 195 though and only 24 more were needed. Artingsall and Townend in particular decided that big hitting or nothing was the way forward. Townend faced six dots before hitting a single and then a huge six, followed by a further six dots and then the winning brace of fours that saw North Nibley over the line.

The Black Horse provided post match refreshment or more specifically drink in the late evening sunshine after Bayshill’s latest defeat.

Bayshill CC 219/6 off 40

Pierce A 53 78 10 0

Wayman C 46 65 6 0

Van Dyke A 10 17 2 0

Price N 18* 15 3 0

Harding M 44* 33 8 0

Extras 43

Lampurgh 8/1/26/4, Artinsall 6/0/43/1, Artinsall C 4/0/29/1

North Nibley CC 223/8

Lampurgh 18, Patterson G 57, Murphy D 26, Eden W 23, Turk N 16, Artinsall W 21, Townend R 17

Harding A 7.4 0 39 0